Highlights, India vs Sri Lanka, 2nd T20I, Full Cricket Score: Sri Lanka win by 4 wickets to draw level 1-1

23:48 (IST)

Low scoring encounters often tend to become thrillers. The game today was no different. Even though the game seemed to slipping past Sri Lanka’s reach, they always found a way to come back and strike boundaries at crucial intervals. The misfields, dropped catches and extras didn’t help India’s case either. India’s debutants failed to mark a mark, more so with the bat. In comparison, India seemed more bothered with the slow nature of the surface, although there was poor shot selection in some cases.

That’s it from us today, but do join us tomorrow as we’ll bring you the live coverage from the series decider. 

23:46 (IST)

Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka: I thought the wicket might slow down at the end of the day as well, but we thought if we manage to keep them to low score we can cross the line. The strategy was to go hard in first six overs but we were not able to capitalise. But De Silva and Hasaranga bailed us out. Bhanuka batted really well as well and then Karunaratne at the end. When it comes to international cricket all boys are performing at different situations which is a plus point. I would like to thank BCCI and SLC because it's a huge opportunity for the young guys.

23:46 (IST)

Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka: I thought if we can keep them under a low score, we can chase it. Strategy was to go hard in the first six overs. Then I went into the middle but couldn't do much. But DDS and Hasaranga did well in the middle overs. When it comes to international cricket, different boys are performing. I should thank BCCI and SLC to allow us to showcase our talent during these tough tough times.

23:45 (IST)

Dhananjaya de Silva is named the man of the match

"We were looking for this win for the past 2 months. Very happy to contribute for Sri Lanka. It was a matter of one over, if we get 15 then it was going to be a close game. I wanted to bat till the end in every match but couldn't do it, so I thought this was my opportunity. When you play against India it's very tough."

23:40 (IST)

India captain Shikhar Dhawan: The surface turned and was a stopping a bit. We knew we were one batter short. We knew we had to construct our innings smartly. We were 10-15 runs short. That would have made the difference. I am proud of the boys. Never say die attitude is amazing. Hats off to the boys for taking it into the last over.

23:30 (IST)

SL 133/6 (19.4) (Dhananjaya 40, Karunaratne 12)

Sakariya with the final over. Dhananjaya sneaks a single off the first after hitting it towards backward square leg. A wide off the next and Samson fumbles on the throw as well. With five needed off five deliveries, Dhananjaya takes matters in his hands and seals the deal for the Lankans by collecting two doubles and a single.

DONE AND DUSTED! The hosts win by four wickets and with two balls to spare. They also keep the series alive. Thrilling game here and it beautifully sets up the decider.

23:23 (IST)

After 19 overs,Sri Lanka 125/6 ( Dhananjaya de Silva 34 , Chamika Karunaratne 12)

Bhuvi with the penultimate over off the innings. After two singles off the first two, some brute force is on display from Karunaratne, who bludgeons one over long on for a maximum. Saini does well to save a couple of runs at covers but he lands badly on his right hand. He is later led off the field by India’s physio. 12 runs off the over. 8 needed off the final over.

23:19 (IST)

SIX! Sri Lanka badly needed this. Clean strike from Karunaratne. It was right in the slot and he bludgeoned it over wide mid on for a maximum. Poor delivery by Bhuvi. 

23:17 (IST)

After 18 overs,Sri Lanka 113/6 ( Dhananjaya de Silva 33 , Chamika Karunaratne 1)

As expected, Sakariya with the 18^th. And the slower ones keep coming. Mendis is beaten by the lack of pace off the second and holes out to Gaikwad on the leg side. Dhananjaya showing his batting might as he runs the ball down to third man to collect a four off the penultimate delivery. Eventful over, eight runs and a wicket off it. 20 needed off 12.

23:12 (IST)

FOUR! Dhananjaya cleverly uses the pace of the ball and runs it down to third man for a boundary.

23:11 (IST)

OUT! Mendis is beaten by pace on a good length delivery and holes out to Gaikwad in the deep on the leg side. The slower one is Sakariya’s weapon and he’s making the most of it here. Ramesh Mendis c Ruturaj Gaikwad b Chetan Sakariya 2(5)

23:08 (IST)

After 17 overs,Sri Lanka 105/5 ( Dhananjaya de Silva 26 , Ramesh Mendis 2)

Varun returns to the attack and keeps it tight, not letting either of the two batters go big. Just six off the 17^th over. Seems like Sakariya will bowl two from here, one left for Bhuvi. So Saini might not get the ball from here on, given pace isn’t really helping on this surface.

23:04 (IST)

After 16 overs,Sri Lanka 99/5 ( Dhananjaya de Silva 22 , Ramesh Mendis 1)

Bhuvneshwar returns to the attack. De Silva, the new man in, nudges the first delivery towards the on side for a single off the first. Mendis returns the favour. A double followed by a single off the final two deliveries as Sri Lanka collect only five off the over.

23:01 (IST)

After 15 overs,Sri Lanka 94/5 ( Dhananjaya de Silva 18 , Ramesh Mendis 0)

Chahar returns to the attack. Just three singles off the first four, followed by one that is in the slot for Hasaranga, who thumps it for a four down the ground. But Chahar ends his spell on a high, getting rid of the dangerous Hasaranga off the very last ball. Hasaranga goes hard at the ball but ends up slicing it straight to Bhuvi at point. Seven runs and a wicket off the over.

23:00 (IST)

OUT! Key wicket from India’s perspective and Chahar has done trick. Hasaranga goes hard at the ball but ends up slicing it straight to Bhuvi at point. Hasaranga c Bhuvneshwar b Rahul Chahar 15(11)

22:56 (IST)

FOUR! Straight as an arrow! Right in the slot, Hasaranga gets down on one leg and thumps it over the bowler’s head.

22:53 (IST)

After 14 overs,Sri Lanka 87/4 ( Dhananjaya de Silva 16 , Wanindu Hasaranga 10)

Kuldeep finishes his spell with figures of 4/30, getting smacked for 15 in his final over, thanks to a six and a four each from the blade of Dhananjaya and Hasaranga respectively. Sri Lanka need 46 runs in 36 balls.

22:52 (IST)

SIX! Dhananjaya joins the party as he thumps it over long off fielder for a much-needed maximum.

22:51 (IST)

FOUR! Hasaranga charges down the track and slaps it down the ground for a boundary. Misfield by the fielder at long off.

22:49 (IST)

After 13 overs,Sri Lanka 72/4 ( Dhananjaya de Silva 8 , Wanindu Hasaranga 3)

Quiet over from Varun, with de Silva and Hasaranga collecting two doubles each. The required run rate, meanwhile, is over 8. So Sri Lanka under the pump now.

22:46 (IST)

After 12 overs,Sri Lanka 68/4 ( Dhananjaya de Silva 6 , Wanindu Hasaranga 1)

Kuldeep into the 12^th over off the innings. DROPPED! Nicely tossed up from Kuldeep, spinning away from the left-handed Bhanuka, who miscued a slog towards the leg side off the second delivery. But the well set batsman departs after holing out to Sakariya in the deep. Six runs and a wicket off the over. 65 needed now off 48 balls. Game on!

22:44 (IST)

OUT! Another wicket for Kuldeep, mediocre really from the batsman. But Kuldeep has put on a fine show of spin bowling thus far. The well set Bhanuka holes out Sakariya at deep mid wicket. M Bhanuka c Chetan Sakariya b Kuldeep Yadav 36(31)

22:40 (IST)

After 11 overs,Sri Lanka 62/3 ( Minod Bhanuka (W) 32 , Dhananjaya de Silva 5)

India slowly but surely getting back in the game here. The required run rate is now 7.89. Tight over from Chahar as he concedes just four off his third over. Sri Lanka need need 71 runs in 54 balls.

22:36 (IST)

After 10 overs,Sri Lanka 58/3 ( Minod Bhanuka (W) 31 , Dhananjaya de Silva 2)

Kuldeep continues. Bowls a wide off the second as he watches Shanaka come down the track. A big wicket for India as the Lankan skipper has to walk back to the pavilion after a clean piece of stumping by Samson. Kuldeep keeps things tight, not allowing the batters to for the big shots. Five runs and a wicket in the over.

22:31 (IST)

Stumped! Shanaka comes down the track and the wily Kuldeep bowls a wide down the leg side. Samson makes no mistake behind the stumps, dislodging the bails in a jiffy. Shanaka st Samson b Kuldeep Yadav 3(6)

22:29 (IST)

After 9 overs,Sri Lanka 53/2 ( Minod Bhanuka (W) 29 , Dasun Shanaka (C) 3)

Spin from both ends as Chahar returns to the attack. Huge LBW appeal off the third against Shanaka, but height was the issue there as the Sri Lankan skipper got beaten will going for the reverse sweep. Sri Lanka go past the 50-run mark with a boundary off Bhanuka’s blade off the penultimate delivery. Expensive over, 10 runs off it.

22:28 (IST)

FOUR! Bhanuka dances down the track and whacks it towards deep mid wicket for a boundary.

22:23 (IST)

After 8 overs,Sri Lanka 43/2 ( Minod Bhanuka (W) 21 , Dasun Shanaka (C) 2)

Bowling change as Kuldeep Yadav, left-arm chinaman, comes into the attack. Huge appeal for LBW off the second delivery against Shanuka, but India miss a trick as the replay shows that there was no bat involved and it would have gone on to hit the stumps. Kuldeep was keen on the review, but Dhawan opted not to go upstairs. Tidy start for Kuldeep, four runs off his first over.

22:20 (IST)

After 7 overs,Sri Lanka 39/2 ( Minod Bhanuka (W) 19 , Dasun Shanaka (C) 0)

Right, the field has opened up now. Sri Lanka off to a positive start here, having hit six boundaries before the start of this over. India, meanwhile, had just eight in their entire innings. But in what could be a probable change of momentum, Varun rattles Sadeera’s stumps. The mystery spinner doing the trick there as the batsman fails to read it and gets caught in the crease. Three runs and a wicket off the over.

22:18 (IST)

BOWLED! Scrambled seam from Varun, Sadeera failed to read that one out off the mystery spinner’s hand and was caught in the crease. Samarawickrama b Chakravarthy 8(12)

22:14 (IST)

After 6 overs,Sri Lanka 36/1 ( Minod Bhanuka (W) 17 , Sadeera Samarawickrama 7)

Spin from both ends and another bowling change here as Rahul Chahar comes on to bowl the final over of the powerplay. Just like Varun’s previous over, Chahar starts off on a poor note, conceding  boundary off the first. Seven runs off the over. Sri Lanka doing well to keep the scoreboard ticking, with nine wickets in hand. No major problems posed by the Indian bowlers yet.

22:11 (IST)

FOUR! Way too short from Chahar and Bhanuka pounces on it. He pulls it with disdain for a boundary.

22:09 (IST)

After 5 overs,Sri Lanka 29/1 ( Minod Bhanuka (W) 11 , Sadeera Samarawickrama 6)

Bowling change for India as Varun Chakravarthy, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack to bowl the penultimate over before the end of the powerplay. Starts off with a shortish delivery, allowing Bhanuka to cut and collect a boundary, but then comes back well, conceding just two off the next five deliveries. Six runs off the over.

22:07 (IST)

FOUR! Way too short from Varun, Sadeera cuts well and the ball races away towards the third man region.

22:05 (IST)

After 4 overs,Sri Lanka 23/1 ( Minod Bhanuka (W) 10 , Sadeera Samarawickrama 1)

Sadeera Samarawickrama joins Bhanuka at the crease after Avishka’s departure, and gets off the mark off the second delivery after driving one through the covers. And two fours from the blade of Bhanuka keep the scoreboard moving. Costly over that, 10 runs off it.

22:03 (IST)

FOUR! Poor line, down the leg side and Bhanuka tickles it towards fine leg. Sakariya under pressure here.

22:02 (IST)

FOUR! Back of the hand from Sakariya and Bhanuka lofts it over mid-on for a boundary. He read that one perfectly, was waiting for it.

22:00 (IST)

After 3 overs,Sri Lanka 13/1 ( Minod Bhanuka (W) 2 , Sadeera Samarawickrama 0)

Bhuvneshwar continues. And India’s most experienced bowler draws first blood for the side, getting rid of Avishka, who was looking in good touch. But well, more credit to Chahar’s athletic catching effort at the backward square leg fence. Three runs and a wicket off Bhuvi’s second, fine over for India.

21:57 (IST)

OUT! Superb athleticism by Rahul Chahar in the deep. Chahar was losing balance as he caught that one near the backward square leg fence and showed great awareness to throw it back in, come back in and then collect it cleanly. Bhuvneshwar with the breakthrough for India as the dangerous Avishka departs. Avishka Fernando c Rahul Chahar b Bhuvneshwar 11(13)

21:53 (IST)

After 2 overs,Sri Lanka 10/0 ( Avishka Fernando 10 , Minod Bhanuka (W) 0)

Chetan Sakariya sharing the new ball with Bhuvi here. He’s known for varying his pace well. So this surface should suit his style of bowling. Let’s see how he fares. Not the start he would have liked as concedes nine off it, including two consecutive fours from Avishka’s blade.

21:51 (IST)

FOUR! Two in two! And now Avishka creams it through the covers. All class!

21:51 (IST)

FOUR! Angling into the pads and way too easy for Avishka, who tickles it towards fine leg for the first boundary of Sri Lanka’s innings.

21:48 (IST)

After 1 over,Sri Lanka 1/0 ( Avishka Fernando 1 , Minod Bhanuka (W) 0)

So Bhuvneshwar asking questions right from the word go. Hint of movement as he gets the ball to move away from the the right-handed Avishka, who opens Sri Lanka’s account by getting off the mark off the penultimate delivery. A dot to end the over. Just one run off the first, good start for India.

21:45 (IST)

Right, Lankan openers Avishka Fernando and Minod Bhanuka are out in the middle to begin the chase. Bhuvneshwar Kumar will take the new ball for India. Here we go!

21:33 (IST)

Sri Lanka have done well to restrict India to 132/5. This is the second time in a row they have bowled well on a slow and sluggish track. The bowlers concentrated on taking the pace off the ball and majorly bowled short of length deliveries. The Indian debutants failed to make the most of the chances. The batsmen struggled and never got the momentum going. The Sri Lankan spinners were accurate, disciplined and purchased turn off the wicket. It might still end up being a tough chase given that India are playing six bowlers including 3 spinners. Nitish Rana can also bowl. 

21:30 (IST)

After 20 overs,India 132/5 ( Bhuvneshwar Kumar 13 , Navdeep Saini 1)

India post 132/5. Brilliant final over from Chameera. Short, slower, slower short - Chameera bowled a good mix as he kept the batsmen guessing. After just two singles from the first three balls, Chameera got Rana off the slower ball and then gave away just two singles off the final two balls. Just four runs off the final over of the innings!

21:27 (IST)

OUT! The slower one does the trick. Chameera bowls the cutter as Rana charges down the track. He drifts it wide too, Rana reaches out for it and is done in by the slowness of the delivery. Ends up spooning it to extra cover.

21:26 (IST)

Chameera will bowl the final over.

21:26 (IST)

The World No 2 T20I bowler for you! 

In 2017, when Sanath Jayasuriya picked Wanindu Hasaranga straight out of school, he claimed a hat-trick on debut. Four years on, he’s gone onto become the number two ranked bowler in T20 cricket. Sanath saw something special despite little domestic credentials.

— Rex Clementine (@RexClementine) July 28, 2021

21:25 (IST)

After 19 overs,India 128/4 ( Nitish Rana 8 , Bhuvneshwar Kumar 12)

Finally, a good over for India! Bhuvneshwar swings at a couple of them but mistimes them, he scampers through for a couple of quick twos. He again goes for a swing but gets an inside edge off the googly which whizzes past the leg stump, the fielder does well to save one run as they run through for three. Hasaranga then bowls one down the leg side as Rana shapes up for a reverse sweep and concedes FIVE WIDES. Rana then goes for a pull but hits it straight to the fielder at deep square leg. 14 off the over.